Junko, I would have used "wolf" instead of a "dog" as the qualifier to your article's title. Their "success at any cost" approach has bordered on at times unethical to get things done. Employees from competitions have often been hired not because of what they are capable but for what they knew about Huawei's competition's technology.
MP Divakar

I once had a chat with some Huawei people, including engineers and marketers. Junko's observation is valid.
Yes, Huawei appeared thinking that they had a lot of room to improve. When I asked why they were so successful, a chilling answer was, "Our competitors go to graves themselves."
This reminded me of Marconi, a BT preferred supplier, who buried them themselves.

I think they still lack some of the marketing sophistication of typical top tier companies I have seen, and behind the scenes I suspect there are still ways they are catching up in technology too, like still working on their first router chip

"Underdog" is a metaphor. Huawei had been perceived as an 'underdog' by the West for decades. Huawei leverages that perception to improve itself; it never forgets its humble beginning; it's never satisfied with where it is; it always strives to work harder.

a pack of wolves, correct. It is the Huawei's company culture.
I do not agree with writer's title that the biggest underdog. I checked the meaning of underdog, it means loser,weaker than the competitor. Actually, the main reason of Huawei's success is its spirit of wolf. They never feel weaker than their competitors.

Junko - A great, comprehensive story, with lots of details. Thanks. That comment by Shao Yang, that, "eventual success will emerge from employees’ collective memory -- including his own -- of how Huawei reached the heights it occupies today," is striking. Either it is a simple flowery language, or it is a window into his views of managing employees, keeping them inspired. Looking at one's own history, corporate, personal, or country, is a great way to inspire oneself.
SR

Huawei perhaps most typically represents China's ambitions of getting ahead at any cost. They have learnt and adopted technologies invented in the western world and now under-cut the companies they learnt from. Their resilience is impressive. They have the advantage however of a captive market in China, a sympathetic government and a lower capital cost. It used to be that Huawei was synonymous with cheap prices but they are now steadily improving the quality of their products.
Definitely a company to watch.